The Nature of Alexander was from a show I had in NYC at Derek Eller Gallery, Good Leaders, Endangered Species, Ships at Sea, where, right before Obama was elected (in fact, the poster image and first painting was of Obama, arms crossed, in front of the Capitol, right before he was elected—and right after the election, a McCain supporter called up the gallery—to take them off their mailing list—forever!).

I felt like we needed Good Leaders as they were like an Endangered Species in a world that was like a Ship at Sea, and mixed in paintings of endangered animals, maritime storm paintings, and pictures like this, mostly of living or contemporary civil rights and cultural heroes and more, for hopeful aesthetic poetic effect. The Nature of Alexander is an iconic painting for me, and personal, as I’ve been living with it for several years. It is based on a wrap-around cover for a historical fiction book by Mary Renault, that I grew up with, that first showed me that you could be gay and a good, strong and powerful leader at the same time. The statue is of the Pergamon head of Alexander, the left-hand side I believe is Greece, the right-hand side Turkey. While painting this, I listened to all the famous Lives of the Artists, by Giorgio Vasari, about Michelangelo, and all the art and artists that led to his time in the Renaissance, and a more contemporary “Lives of the Artists,” about painters from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Manet, Turner, etc., to Picasso, Rothko, and Pop art. Many of my ideas of painting are included in this image, and I hope it becomes “abstract” in micromanaged moments and coheres together into an iconic presence from afar.

I painted this in a pivotal time in my life, where I needed to assert myself in the biggest possible manner to get ahead in my art and career. Truly it was inspiring. I also love Michelangelo, and painting after his classical busts and sculpture, and how he himself would copy the statuary from classical times, helping to bring us into the Renaissance. I wanted to move ahead in the world, and even though Alexander was a colonialist, at least he took care of and respected his countries. I’m not a colonialist, but I’m gay, and growing up looking at this book taught me you could be queer but also strong, a winner and not a sad sack, to be proud of who you were and stride forward optimistically for the best possible future, for yourself, your loved ones and family, and for the world.